Chapter 6 as promised!
The Trooper bristles a little at the fact that the man standing before her is in fact a Jedi. Considering the clothes, the man had only confirmed what Cora had suspected. And frankly, she's quite happy about that for the sole reason that the man is a treasure trove of information on Cora's current affliction. Specifically, how to get rid of it.
But she frowns, pausing at the last word the Jedi had said. Her eyes fall across the floor, she mutters, "The High Republic?" Jor Daki, Jedi Master, must be more than a hundred years old. Cora pauses at the thought that maybe that's normal. It's not like she knows anything. But the idea that the Force grants immortality? That's still just slightly too crazy for Cora to get behind. She looks back up at him, face struck in acute disbelief and almost confusion, "How are you even alive?"
And it is then and only then that Cora sees Jor Daki's face break down. Dissolves into complete and utter terror. His eyes widen, his mouth hangs slightly ajar, his shoulders fall. In all the time that Cora will know him, this is the only time when Jor Daki's light leaves him.
Jor Daki of the High Republic asks, his voice barely a whisper, "What year is it?"
The trooper's eyebrows furrow, and she's on the verge of answering when a shout comes echoing out the left corridor.
"Cora!"
Cora's serious demeanor falls, and she lets her eyes widen at the Jedi. They both only have a second to turn and stare when Ozcar comes bounding down the steps.
"Where'd you go?"
Ozcar's carrying several dusty books in his arms. He's thumbing through one of them when his head lifts to meet Cora's wide eyes. Then he turns to stare at the man across from her. Ozcar points nonchalantly, "Who's that guy?" Her mouth can't form the words, too shocked in the revelation that she has been caught. It doesn't take Ozcar too long after that to notice the man's wardrobe and put the pieces together.
The books fall to the floor. His gray eyes darken, and he unsheathes a small, sharp dagger from a hidden pocket somewhere along his sleeve. Ozcar's voice deepening when he spits out, "Jedi".
"Ozcar!" Cora shouts.
Ozcar raises his arm over his head and prepares to throw when Cora comes running up. Shielding Jor's body with her own.
Suddenly, the achieved killer is the one asking for peace. Breathless, she mutters softly, "Just wait. Wait."
"Cora, what are you doing? He's a Jedi. He's…"
"I know. I… I can explain."
Ozcar tilts his head away from her, mouth opening and brows lowering as if he's about to disagree with her. Then, his eyes drift to the man behind her and his face hardens again. The small little amused quirk at the corner of his mouth drops into a harsh line. "You can explain after he's dead," Ozcar pushes past her, and he flips the dagger between his fingers, intending to stab the Jedi with it.
She just stands there, standing at the spot where Ozcar had been. Her mouth recoils into a sneer after a split second. Ozcar had never been such a brute. Cora supposed that must be what happens when you're standing face-to-face with Public Enemy #1. Only, she needs him. This Jor Daki. The Jedi is her only link to the information that will get her out of this kriffing mess. To hell with the consequences, Cora starts walking over to rip Ozcar a new one. She'll deal with the fallout later.
Only the Jedi does it for her. Jor Daki is only inches from death when he says something. Cora can barely hear the words over the sound of her own frantic heartbeat.
Ozcar slowly lowers his dagger and sheathes it once more.
The Jedi says something else and raises his hand to hold onto Ozcar's armored shoulder.
Ozcar slowly nods.
Then, the man smiles softly in satisfaction and places two fingers on Ozcar's freckled forehead.
"Sleep."
Ozcar hits the ground faster than a star destroyer at top speed, sounding like dead weight at the impact.
Cora runs over to him, kneeling down beside the trooper. With two fingers to his neck, Cora feels a barely-there pulse and lets out a sigh of relief. Leaning back on her knees to allow herself a moment to calm down. She'd felt it. The moment Ozcar had fallen, a void had opened in her. Something that had been there her whole life was now very suddenly not. Only when she managed to find his pulse did the feeling subside. And for the hundredth time since the destruction of the Eclipse, Cora decides she hates the Force. More than she already did.
Her eyes swivel slowly to meet the Jedi's. Her nostrils flared and her jaw sticking out, causing her bottom teeth to stick out from her mouth. She studies his face, tranquil and all together, emotionless. Cora pulls a blaster on Jor Daki. The Jedi has the decency to take a step back, but otherwise his entire being exudes tranquility. His hands clasped loosely at his waist, practically hidden by the large and dramatic folds of his sleeves. Cora grits her teeth, "What did you do to him?"
Jor Daki stares down at her. Stares at her blaster with open disgust, he flicks a hand as if to throw it, "Put that thing away. We are beyond such things."
Cora never lets go of her blaster, but she stands to match the Jedi's height. Point the barrel of the weapon directly in his face. There's a small bit of amusement in her reply, "We?"
Jor scoffs, "Yes, we. The Force is strong with you, as dark and twisted as it is."
She bristles at the remark, but tightens her hold on the blaster, "Then you know what I want."
In the silence, Jor raises his eyebrows and waves a hand, prompting her to continue.
"Tell me how to get rid of it."
The Jedi's eyes go blank, "What?"
Cora steps closer, "How do I get rid of the Force?"
Cora is struck with surprise as she watches the man's face break down once again. But this time into pure, unbridled laughter. A laugh rich and warm with the sign of much use. The crinkles in his eyes deepen, but the sound makes him seem younger than he is. There's nothing polite or wise about the way that the Jedi starts giggling like a little girl at some points. Or like Petre that one time Zera did a spot-on impression of the infamous General Hux.
The Jedi's about to answer. He points a finger at her, hands trembling. Suddenly, he's holding his knees to brace himself as he doubles over. Cora can almost swear she sees the beginnings of tears in the old man's eyes.
The only thing Cora can think about at that moment is that the First Order had somehow forgotten to mention that on top of being genocidal maniacs, the Jedi are also actually batshit crazy. She allows herself to lower her blaster.
The Jedi laughs again, somehow managing to say through cackles, "One…does not simply…get rid of it!"
Cora frowns, and she snaps back, "What's that supposed to mean?"
He manages to stop laughing, and shrugs, "It means exactly what you think it means."
Cora simply stares at him and the Jedi sighs. It's his turn to elaborate.
"The Force is all around us. It exists in and connects every single living thing in this universe. The only difference is that beings such as you and I ," he gestures between the two of them, "Have the ability to harness that connection." Jor Daki moves closer to her, wagging a finger at her accusingly, "It is not some sort of illness that can simply be cured. It is the celestial glue that holds the cosmos together. The proverbial Torranut butter and jelly between two fragile. Measly slices of bread. You are a part of the Force and the Force is a part of you, for better or worse." His words are quick, and his voice wavers dangerously between sounding normal and completely unhinged.
It takes more than a moment to process the information. She blinks. "You don't understand." She places a hand on her chest. "My people will kill me if they ever find out. Every single moment I don't kill this thing inside me is another moment I'm a traitor."
The trooper lets her hands fall to her sides, allows her guarded expression to fall. Her eyes go foggy, and she glances to a spot on the wall next to the Jedi. She thinks of Zera, of Deek, of Petre. Of Ozcar, still lying unconscious on the floor next to her.
"And I really don't want to be a traitor."
Cora's eyes snap to the Jedi's once again, narrowing into slits.
"So."
"There better be a way to get rid of the Force, or you're no longer of any use to me," the corners of her mouth quirk up into a small sharp smile.
The Jedi stares at her, there's a sadness in them that looks a lot like pity. Which Cora has never seen from anyone. Never towards her. Never for her. He sneaks a glance upwards towards the circle in the ceiling, and then he's deep in thought.
The Jedi Master speaks, "I could…teach you. How to control it."
Jor Daki continues, "… How to hide it." He looks at her then and realizes she's still not going to speak. His eyes fall over to Ozcar's body and Cora's eyes follow.
"All I did was convince Ozcar that he was sleeping, and his body followed suit. I also used the same concept to make him forget this night and this place." The Jedi was standing at Ozcar's side now, "I caused him no pain. Your friend will wake up tomorrow thinking this whole ordeal was at most a bad dream. Or he may not remember it at all. Some people have more sensitivity to the Force than others. Even if they are not able to wield it. Most sentients refer to it as a Jedi Mind Trick. Even if it is a little crude, it fits."
At that, Cora lets out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "He won't remember any of this?"
The Jedi nods in confirmation. Absentmindedly, the trooper returns the gesture, eyes darting to the side as she thinks it all over. Kill the Jedi and definitely die. Or be a traitor just a little longer and maybe live.
Surprisingly, the answer isn't as difficult to make as she thought it would be.
Created with Sketch.
When Ozcar wakes up the next morning, he hits his head on the ceiling of his bunk. The trooper lets out a loud yelp and groans as a hand shoots up to hold his forehead. He hears a snort to his left and turns to see Cora staring at him in amusement. There's a smug little smirk plastered on her face that Ozcar frowns at.
"Get up buckethead, you're gonna be late for training."
Ozcar groans again and shoves a thin pillow in his face. It takes him a moment after that to swing himself on his bunk and start putting on his armor.
"I slept like shit."
Cora scoffs, "Like, normally shitty or shittier than usual?"
Ozcar's tired eyes fall lazily on her and Cora can immediately see the dark circles under them, "The second one." Cora laughs and waits for him to put on the last of his uniform. Ozcar's about to put on his helmet when he stops and his brows furrow. Cora's already out the door, but she stops and turns to look at him.
"I also had the weirdest dream…" He puts a hand to his forehead again, pushing his black curls back as he thinks. "You were there, we were in this-" Cora walks up to him and cuts him off completely, she places one hand on his shoulder, stares intensely into his eyes.
"But I mean, it was just a dream, right?"
And Ozcar is so surprised by her sudden movement that he leans back. His brows furrow again, and he stares at her as if Cora's just said something in a completely different language. Then, his face softens and Ozcar's eyes go hazy. He nods.
"… Yeah, just a dream."
Cora would be going back to the temple tonight to learn more, but until then, the Jedi had taught her one thing.
"You just have to have intent. Imbue the Force into your words. You must believe that what you are saying is true and then for them, it will be."
Seemed simple enough. Of course, Cora had no one to test it on. But considering what just happened, she thinks she can safely say that she managed okay. Despite the fact that she was now sporting a rather large and irritating headache. She smiles at Ozcar and they both put on their helmets, walking out the door.
Despite her relief that it actually worked, Cora can't help but feel the gnawing feeling in her gut as she stares at the back of Ozcar's head. The little knot at the back of her throat. She pushes it all down. Her mind yells at her, Traitor! And Cora can only hope that the people she considers the closest thing to a family never find out.